


Sunken City

by little_shinra



Category: NieR: Automata (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Sibling Bonding, Storytelling, Swimming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-10 12:03:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12911541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/little_shinra/pseuds/little_shinra
Summary: Eve wants Adam's attention again.





	Sunken City

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, this thing got sent to the back burner real good (among other stories I have) back in August. I blame academia for this, because it was my most difficult semester ever and I do not miss it! 
> 
> Anyway, following the completion of Hair, I still had a thirst for more Adam and Eve bonding scenes. (No, not that kind of thirst, get your minds out of the gutter.) So, as expected of me, I wrote another one. This story actually had some minor inspiration from a fanart I found on Pixiv showing Eve taking a step over an edge to submerge into the water below. I thought it would be nice to see Eve take a little more (mischievous) incentive to getting his brother's attention. I hope you all enjoy the result of this thought process. Leave a kudos or comment to show your love, many thanks ahead!

“Adam, let's go in the water.”

Eve teetered on the concrete building's edge with one foot forward, ready for the step. Adam looked up from the book he was reading.

“I’d rather not, Eve. I’ll stay up here, so you go on ahead.”

Eve, who had been smiling toward the shifting reflection below him before, looked to his brother. Adam had his attention fully back on the text lining the bound pages in his hands with little time. He felt Eve’s staring and peeked his eyes over the book.

“You don’t have to wait on me.”

“But it’s more fun doing things with you. You’re no fun sometimes, Adam.”

“By technicality, I am still here,” Adam teased. Eve’s cheeks puffed.

“Not what I meant.”

Eve’s curiosity of what he’d find underneath the water finally took greater hold, and with it he dove in. Rather gracefully for a first timer, as his brother noted before Eve was completely out of sight under the blue surface.

The temperature grabbed at him, a full contrast to the dryer warm air before. Allowing it to pass through him with a moment of stillness, Eve pushed against the water for the depths further below. The dilapidated building Adam rested on was half submerged by the ocean, holes where windows were spotted along its length, and the stone foundation eroded down with manner of sea life making their home.

Below all this at the bottom, Eve saw the shining view of a street taken back by the rights of the earth. Yellow lines marked along it, leading his eyes to something on the other end. A wide smile bubbled from him, as the scenery mimicked a drawing in one of Adam’s books that he worked through. He made for a solid structure nearby him and, pushing his feet against it, powering for the surface above. His head broke through and he shook water from his eyes and waded toward the concrete building. He scaled back up the side of the building, scrambling to get up the edge to where Adam still sat, reading.

“Adam, Adam. I got something to show you.”

“Can it wait?” He responded with disinterest.

“No no,” his voice bounced, and he shook vigorously to dry himself. Adam immediately twisted away to shield the book, sprayed by the sea water.

“Could you not?”

Eve took the book from his hands, then removed his glasses onto the book’s cover and set them aside. He took Adam’s hands and pulling him to the building edge where he had just crawled up from.

“Stand right here. Just like that.”

Eve rested his hands on his sibling's arms and wore an almost strained smile, as though trying to stifle a laugh.

“Eve, what are you-”

Water slammed into Adam's side, his face, and enveloped him before he could finish. Water weighed him down and surrounded every direction. Twisting himself so he could gauge where he ended up facing, he rotated upright and shot out the water’s surface. Wiping his face, he aimed his attention to the building he’d been thrown off.

“Eve!”

The aforementioned male gave hearty laugh and dove in after him, unleashing a whoop in the air. He landed with a splash, drenching Adam no more than he already could manage.

“I got you in the water!” Eve's toothy grin was all Adam could make out as he pushed his hair from his eyes.

“You scheming little-”

Eve wrapped his arms around Adam and smooshed their cheeks together, laughing all the while over his brother's obvious lack of amusement at having been practically flung in against his will. The water came precariously up and half submerged their faces as Eve leaned more of his weight onto Adam’s body.

“Eve. _Eve_ ,” Adam’s mouth filled. He pushed forward and spat the water out. “You’re going to send me under like this.”

Eve leaned off, keeping close with little effort to stay afloat.

“Come see, Adam. It’s so pretty down there. I want to show you something.”

Adam glowered at his brother’s beaming smile for a while before he sighed.

“Alright, you got me. What is it you wanted to show me?”

“Down here. Follow me.”

Eve dove back under. Adam followed at a distance, glancing at the underwater world that slowly opened itself to them. Streams of the sunlight had more solid shape in its reach to the bottom of the enclosed pool. Eve waved him over to a particular spot, rendering Adam speechless when he came to meet at his side.

The fountain in the center and square that surrounded it was blessed by the light, revealing a small park area surrounded by trees with thick trucks. They waved back and forth with their long green branches, adding to the sea green filter that covered all, and gleamed with the beam’s grazing touch. Adam played with the idea that something would favor hiding inside them and their shadows.

He swam toward where Eve held the previously undisturbed stone statue. The crack that separated the whole was covered with perforated holes filled with a fuzzy growth. Eve set the other half on top of it, disrupting the moss, with the edges misaligned from the aging. Other worn down, intact statues circled around the central walkway. They shared the shape of animals and small children climbing and running along the walls like the still photographs in his books. A small green statue of a human girl rested on the edge of the fountain, looking into the pool with interest. Humans did once favor their reflections, pouring a deal of time into prepping their appearances. This girl would forever be enraptured by her reflection. That sounded familiar from somewhere.

Eve tugged his sleeve, looking at him expectedly for what to do next. Adam took in the scene before him, comparing it in his mind’s eye to the photo of its former intact state he’d seen. Another moment and Adam pointed upward, indicating they should go back. Eve complied, rocketing himself off a building point above them, looking back to Adam while he followed suit. Before breaking the surface to the dry, warm air over them, Adam looked back to the direction of the fountain. Near it was something he hadn’t noticed before. A pattern decorated the white and black tiles of the outer rims and the interior of the fountain’s flooded pool. A scene of flowers and a rusted body floating inside, its eyes seeming to stare right back at him, ignoring the enraptured girl statue. Adam averted his staring and climbed out the water.

“Is something wrong, brother?” Eve asked, a worried look on his face. “You were looking at something for a while.”

Adam took Eve’s offered hand and hefted himself up.

“It’s fine. Just wanted to take one more look at it.”

Sitting back on the edge of the building, Adam twisted and squeezed his long hair of the water that hung on him. Eve had returned to his shaking and flailing as a means of removal. Adam chanced a smile, amused by the similarities to one pet humans seemed to care for: puppies. Shaking their whole bodies and sending water all over their owners, despite the protests, as he had seen from some archives. He pulled at his clinging shirt, noting both their clothes were soaked through.

Adam called for his brother’s attention and Eve came right over without hesitation.

“Thank you, Eve. That was beautiful,” he patted his brother’s head. Eve giggled.

“Hehe, I remembered it from your books.”

“So, you have been paying attention.”

“If it pleases brother, I’ll try my hardest.”

Adam ruffled his hair a little harder. “Cute. Alright, let’s get out of these clothes so they’ll dry.”

“Yes!” Eve perked with glee. Of the two, he took any chance to be out of them, albeit with Adam’s approval first.

As they wrung out their clothes and laid them in the late afternoon sun to dry, Eve asked, “Brother, if we’re siblings, why weren’t we named Cain and Abel instead?”

Eve had asked him this question before and Adam evaded it. He had read the stories behind those names, the curses that followed them. Eve’s view of the world was different from his and it made him question (an odd thing given their nature) whether he should make Eve follow behind him. He loved Eve as he was. Adam recalled that innocence was valued in human culture. He wondered if he really should change Eve to match closer to him.

Inevitably, there needed to be a little brutality in their conversations with each other. At Eve’s further nudging, Adam sighed and looked Eve straight in the eyes.

“Then one of us would murder the other.”

Eve’s face betrayed him. Terror dampened his red eyes as Eve held his hands up, midway to grabbing Adam by the shoulders. Adam’s eyes widened and he backed away.

“I don’t want that!”

Once the surprise left him, Adam returned to his normal face.

“Don’t worry,” Adam brushed Eve’s bangs from his face. “I know you won’t. And besides, there’s nothing wrong with your name. It’s kind of…. cute.”

The tears that pooled in Eve’s eyes spilled over when he blinked. “That wasn’t funny, Adam.”

“I wasn’t trying to be,” Adam nudged away the weak fist digging his side. He took his glasses from where Eve left them and returned them to his face. “I do think it fits you better. We were born together after all.”

Eve laid on his back, taking the full sun on his damp body, and brought a hand up to shield his eyes.

“Why would siblings have to kill each other, if they are meant to love them so much?”

“For humans, there were a lot of reasons. Some were not out of love, some were from loving too much. It’s too many to count.”

“But what about our reason? Would we have a reason to kill each other?”

Adam looked Eve with curiosity. “I don’t have a reason. Do you, Eve?”

“…No,” Eve turned over onto his side, resting his head on his arm. “Tell me a story, Adam. About brothers.”

Adam stared at his abandoned book, taking it into his hands and leafing through the pages before deciding on the start of a solo chapter. He settled the book onto his lap and started reading.

“‘This is a tale of two brothers. The eldest was the representation of pureness. The youngest the embodiment of corruption.

‘The two couldn’t be seen as any way alike, with one destined to reside in the shadow of the other. Yet because of it, they were linked firmly by the other’s side, with nothing challenging their bond to one another. But they were not without trial in their lives.

‘As fate decided to bestow on them, they grew under the control of a cruel master. Under that control, they were slaves to the master’s whims, the ultimate machines of controlling and eliminating their adversaries, silent and resourceful in their roles. Because of this, they were also feared, so the master took advantage of their one weakness to keep them at bay; each other.

‘Forced to be apart, day in and day out through the remainder of their lives, until one day they reunited again to battle against the master’s tyranny.

‘They were victorious and killed the master, but the eldest was doomed to die. The battle had left him with unknown disease. The youngest, not wanting to lose the only one he cared for, set off to finding a way to save his brother.’”

“Was he able to?”

“Let me finish. ‘He searched desperately and found that the only way was to call upon a creature of immense power, a god that decided upon the journey of all life.

‘On the day of the rising of such a god, the brother also rose from his death bed. Overjoyed, the youngest went to embrace him, then realized that his brother wasn't really alive. Simply replaced by another's soul in his body. With the eldest's hand, the younger brother was slain.

‘As his soul left him, the younger brother saw the eldest still bound to his stolen body, calling for him for aid once more. With the last of his strength, the youngest took his elder brother by the hand and freed him from his captivity. Unburdened of the chains of life, the two brothers departed the world together, guided by the god of all life’s journeys. Into a journey of their next chapter.’”

“What happened to them next?”

Adam checked the next pages that led to a different tale.

“Don’t know. It was never finished,” Adam shut the book and rose to his feet. “I think our clothes will be dry now. It’s getting late.”

Eve rolled up to his feet, taking in the slow crawl of the reddening sun. He thought again about the story and Adam’s comment about their names. Adam dressed himself, his back to Eve.

“I don’t see a reason to kill you, Adam,” he mumbled to himself. Adam slipped into his shirt.

“What was that?”

Eve shook his head. “Nothing.”

**Author's Note:**

> Anyone pick up the long reference I made in the story? Shameless plug in.
> 
> (I did try to make it as ambiguous as possible, but certain parts just wouldn't flow without details, so I accommodated as best as possible.)


End file.
